Discovery BoxIsaiah 21:3-5 
Context21:3 For this reason my stomach churns; 1
cramps overwhelm me
like the contractions of a woman in labor.
I am disturbed 2 by what I hear,
horrified by what I see.
I shake in fear; 4
the twilight I desired
has brought me terror.
21:5 Arrange the table,
lay out 5 the carpet,
eat and drink! 6
Get up, you officers,
smear oil on the shields! 7
1 tn Heb “my waist is filled with shaking [or “anguish”].”
2 tn Or perhaps, “bent over [in pain]”; cf. NRSV “I am bowed down.”
3 tn Heb “wanders,” perhaps here, “is confused.”
4 tn Heb “shuddering terrifies me.”
5 tn The precise meaning of the verb in this line is debated. Some prefer to derive the form from the homonymic צָפֹה (tsafoh, “keep watch”) and translate “post a guard” (cf. KJV “watch in the watchtower”; ASV “set the watch”).
6 tn The verbal forms in the first three lines are infinitives absolute, which are functioning here as finite verbs. It is uncertain if the forms should have an imperatival or indicative/descriptive force here.
7 sn Smearing the shields with oil would make them more flexible and effective in battle. See J. N. Oswalt, Isaiah (NICOT), 1:394.
